


Wake Up

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Coma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feelings, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Frenemies, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, POV The Master (Doctor Who), Soft Master (Doctor Who), best enemies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23509783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: The Master finds that the reader was injured while travelling with The Doctor. He goes to the hospital where she is being held and talks to her during the nights, hoping that his voice will pull her from the coma.
Relationships: The Master (Dhawan)/Reader, Thirteenth Doctor & The Master (Dhawan)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 78





	Wake Up

"All alone, Doctor? None of your little pets to keep you company?"

Oh, that was interesting. There, for a moment, he saw it. A flash of guilt in her eyes. Curious. The Master jumped down from the stage and strode over, a little disappointed by the complete lack of reaction. Did she not appreciate the effort to which he'd gone to clear out the theatre just for them? He hadn't even killed anyone! 

"Come on, dear! Where are they hiding? Where did you send your little human?"

When she still didn't answer, anger bubbled up in The Master's chest. He shoved her shoulder, and she stumbled backwards, but still gave no response. That defiant look in her eyes, the one that rivalled the blinding shine of a supernova, was just dull. She was here with him but not really present at all. 

"This is no fun when you don't shout back, Doctor."

He rolled his eyes and sat on the edge of the stage, patting the space beside him. "Five minutes."

That got a reaction. She looked up from the ground and met his gaze, and The Master wondered if she'd always looked so tired. Holding his hands in the air, The Master said, "No tricks. Promise. You can have my ear for five minutes and then it's back to business as usual."

The Doctor sat down warily, too far away. Breathing a loud sigh so she knew exactly how much of an inconvenience she was being, The Master shuffled over and closed the gap. His hand hovered over hers, suddenly questioning himself. Were they there, yet? Was enough of their friendship still intact after everything they'd put each other through?

She met his gaze, tears in her eyes, and the decision was made. Maybe she was manipulating him. Maybe she genuinely needed her friend. Either way, The Master, his hearts tight in his chest, took her hand and a familiar calmness trickled over them both. There was no question about it. This was right. Comforting his oldest friend like they were children again. 

"Y/N is gone."

"She left?" No, that couldn't be what she meant. He'd met you. You'd never leave The Doctor - unless it was for a sneaky trip with him. That could only mean… "She's hurt?"

"We were ambushed by Autons. I couldn't get to her in time."

The news bothered The Master more than it should have done. After all, you were just a human. A weak and fragile woman. Why had he expected anything other than for you to get injured? Why did the image of you bleeding out alone on an alien planet tighten his hearts so much? 

"Where is she now?"

"I took her to a hospital on Oonah. They induced a coma. It was the only way to save her." 

The Master nodded. The planet was familiar, known around the quadrant for its superior health care system. They treated all patients the same, regardless of species, and had some of the best nurses around. You would be well cared for there but he couldn't shake one very annoying thought: there were no visitors allowed to the medical facilities on Oonah. "She's alone."

"The nurses keep her company," The Doctor said, as if it were any consolation. 

"Strangers," he huffed in return. "She needs to hear from the people that she knows. That care for her."

"I always thought that it was you that would get her killed," The Doctor said. "I figured you'd tempt her away and risk her life for your own."

"Your high opinion of me is touching, Doctor, but you're lying to me. To yourself. See, I never had any doubt that it would be you that got her hurt."

She pulled away from him, eyes comically wide at the accusation. "I would do anything to save my friends!" 

Oh, she was stunning when enraged. The Master had forgotten how intensely she could burn, how The Doctor could outshine the brightest stars in the sky. It was almost an honour to be near such rage, to feel kinship with someone so angry, if only for a moment. 

"Dear Doctor. The good and righteous Doctor. You have a line that you won't cross and you think that your little pets don't rise up to meet your mark? The things that you have done in the name of honour and decency, in order to save someone. It's truly remarkable the destruction you are capable of. Is it any wonder that when presented with such an example that your humans run so blindly into danger?"

"Stop it," she whispered. 

The Master leaned closer and he could practically feel the rage radiating from her skin. How he'd missed his friend. "They try to be like you. To be 'better' than the rest and put themselves in unwinnable situations. They're so fragile! And you wonder why they keep getting themselves killed!"

"Stop it."

"Just more casualties in an endless life. How does it feel, Doctor? How do you sleep knowing what you've turned them into?"

" _Stop it!_ " The Doctor pushed herself off the stage and shoved her hands in her pockets, that fire burning away the vulnerability she'd shown him moments before. "I should never have come here."

With that he knew the truce was over. Everything shifted and snapped back into place, the ceasefire redundant. Just like it always did. The nice moments never did last, The Master lamented briefly. 

As The Doctor stormed away, he shouted, "Run along, Doctor. Go find yourself another pet. They won't be the same as her but they'll still die eventually!" 

A gust blew through the theatre as her TARDIS dematerialised, leaving him alone in the grand hall. He didn't hang around, though. The Master headed straight for his own TARDIS, his destination set before the doors had even closed: Oonah. 

***

All considering, breaking into the hospital was remarkably easy. A light perception filter kept the nurses from asking too many questions about his purpose there - they were so busy that they probably wouldn't have spared him the time, anyway - and The Master was able to move freely around the wards as he pleased. 

He took his usual spot beside your bed and flung his feet up onto the mattress. Balanced precariously on the back to chair legs, he muttered, "Don't worry. I cleaned my boots this morning. Let me tell you, it is not easy to get rid of the smell of Slitheen guts."

You looked healthier today, although it was most certainly just a trick of the light or a projection of his own hope. An awful emotion, hope. Fury and despair were so much easier to control. Hope just existed quietly in the background, affecting each and every one of his thoughts. It was horrendous.

The Master straightened the blanket over your chest and watched your breaths, shallow and shaky. Weak. At least your injuries were healing. The wounds had closed up and healed almost perfectly. The scars would be neat and tidy; the surgeons had done an admirable job but The Master still found himself angry that you'd been hurt at all. 

The Doctor was so reckless sometimes. How could she have ever put you in harm's way like this? He never would. No, that was a lie. He'd have dragged you straight into the middle of a battle zone, made you face life or death, but he would never have let anything happen to you. Not like this. 

Months he'd been coming here and still there was no real improvement. He hoped - there it was again, that awful feeling - that you knew you weren't alone. That there was someone waiting by your side, desperate to see you smile again. He'd talked and talked at you and there was never any change but he endeavoured nonetheless.

"When you wake up, I think I'll take you to Sastronewearth. Oh, they know how to have fun on the southern continent. You should see the fire demons that they conjure. Gorgeous creatures. Very passionate." The Master's mind wandered a while before reaching the conclusion that you probably wouldn't be strong enough for those kinds of parties. At least not for a few months. 

He soon came up with an alternative. "Or maybe to Agrethalis. The entire planet is covered by pink ocean. You'd like the locals. Very friendly. They even liked me, god knows why." He paused a moment. "Sorry, no, you're right. I'm charming and handsome and just a little bit sexy now. It's no wonder they liked me."

The Master's gaze flickered to your blank face. He supposed he should find the expression peaceful, as if you were merely sleeping. That was half true but he couldn't shake the coolness in him stomach, the emptiness that teased that you were gone. Lost to the world forever. A mere shell, your mind trapped away somewhere that he could never reach. 

That didn't stop him from trying, though. 

"At least try to wake up. I don't have all night, you know. Other places to be. Trouble to make." 

Another lie. The Master had all of this night and the next and every night that would follow for years to come. He wouldn't leave you here to face the darkness alone. He wasn't that cruel. 

For a brief moment, his hearts began to palpitate as he caught your fingers twitching. However when no further reaction came, The Master despairingly put it down to another harsh trick of the light. Still, he took your hand in his and squeezed it gently, drawing soft patterns over the skin. Imagining that you could feel his touch, that it might be enough to guide you back to him. 

"When you wake up, you won't go back to The Doctor," he said, clinging desperately to the belief that it would be a reality and not another far flung dream. "Not if you've got any sense. You'll come with me. I'll show you the real face of the universe. It's not so light and pretty but it's real."

The Master pressed his hand over your heart, the slow steady beat quickening slightly. He smiled. He knew you were in there somewhere; this was proof. "You'll feel it, here. The truth. It's harsh and cold but once you've seen the worst, once you've come face to face with the darkness, you'll find beauty everywhere. In the fear and hatred. In the destruction and chaos. It's beautiful, Y/N. It really is.

"The Doctor is right about one thing, though." Resisting the urge to wash out his mouth, horrified that he could ever admit such a thing, The Master continued, "It's so much better with someone by your side. It's all well and good to blow up a planet but standing alone in the rubble just drains the fun out of it. Travelling requires a companion, someone to share in the madness. I want that to be you, Y/N."

You were special. He didn't know why or what it was specifically that made you the one but he knew for sure that you were. There was a spark in your soul, something deep inside you that called to him. He'd felt it the very first time you met and every time since. A desire for more. An interest, an intrigue. You saw more than what was on the surface - you'd seen straight through him. 

The Master was certain that The Doctor hadn't told you often enough how lucky she was to have you. He wouldn't ever say it, how could he, but he'd make sure you knew. He'd find a way to ensure that you understood. Whether that was dressing you in the finest attire or stealing you the best weapons, keeping you safe or trying to be a better person - dull as that was - The Master would make you see your worth. 

"Just wake up. Please."

Beneath his hand, The Master felt you twitch your fingers. He held his breath, a grin erupting across his face when you moved again. Your eyelids fluttered, too heavy to open. He cupped your cheek and you instinctively turned into it, your entire body softening at the warmth of his palm. 

"Master?"

"Right here, love. Take it slow. That's it." 

Your eyes flickered open this time, no doubt grateful for the dim lighting. It was weak but a distinct smile played on your lips. You looked up into his eyes and hummed his name again, a warm feeling spreading across his chest. He couldn't recall the last time that someone had looked at him this way, as if he were… loved. Another trick of the light, no doubt, but an addictively pleasant one nonetheless. 

"Figured you'd want to wake up to The Doctor."

Forehead crumpling, you shook your head. With great effort, you rolled over onto your side and met his gaze with a surprising intensity. "It was your voice I heard. Your voice that pulled me back. Your hand in mine. That's what I want."

Oh, it was marvellous to hear you speak the words he'd so hoped to hear. But a part of him couldn't shake the feeling that this was too good to be true. That you were settling for him. "And The Doctor?" 

Your expression grew sad, a longing he understood too well. Humans weren't good at concealing their emotions - it was part of the reason they were so interesting; their blood boiled so close to the surface that you never knew what they'd do next - but you certainly gave it your best go. 

"I thought that she and I… But she left me. She made me into this and then turned away. I can't…" 

The Master squeezed your hand as tightly as he dared. These emotions he understood perfectly. Being abandoned by someone you considered a friend, family, left a deeper scar than any laser rifle could. It shattered something inside of you. 

"Did you mean what you said?"

"What?" 

"While I was sleeping. You said I was special."

"I didn't say that."

You pushed yourself upright, the effort draining you. Blinking back the dizziness, you steadied yourself by grabbing The Master's arm and he was sure that his hearts stopped beating for a moment. "I heard you."

"Definitely didn't say that. You must have imagined it." Not the best start to following through on his intention to ensure you knew how important you were but he couldn't just jump in there. Still, something in the way you smiled, the glint in your eye, made The Master sure you already knew. 

Swinging his feet off the bed, he offered you his hand and asked, "Now, are you coming with me or not?"

There was no hesitation as you accepted his hand. "Of course. But first I need some new clothes. I'm not running around the universe in a nightie."

"What if I take you to a planet where they've made literally mountains from pillows and it's inhabited by living teddy bears? You can sleep on the clouds and drink hot chocolate from rivers. The wind sings in the trees and the stars are like diamonds in the sky."

He was making it up as he went but the grin on your face and the light in your eyes balanced out the deception in his mind. Anyway, the universe was a big place. There was probably somewhere out there that fit the bill. Far stranger places existed. 

"Promise not to kill the teddy bears?"

The Master let out an exaggerated sigh. He held up a finger. "Just this once. I will not murder the horrendously fluffy creatures this once."

You threw your arms around him, the unexpected show of affection catching him off guard. It was… new. Not entirely uncomfortable but he wasn't sure how to proceed. He sat stiffly as you hugged him, realising that this was more than just excitement over a new adventure. The Master said nothing as you wept into his shoulder, a mix of relief and loss and hope.

Just as you moved to pull back, once there were no more tears to cry, The Master slipped his arms around your waist, holding you in place, not quite ready for this to end. He felt you smile against his cheek and asked, "What's so funny?"

"This. You. You're a lot nicer than I remember."

"Take that back."

You laughed, a beautiful sound indeed. "Fine, fine. Just do me a favour?" He nodded. "Stop trying to slip your hands under my night dress."

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!   
> Come talk to me on tumblr too :D


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